Running out of an important cleanser mid-deep clean is never an ideal situation. The good news, though, is that several household products can cut through fingerprints and grime, leaving your windows and mirrors streak-free.
Reach for one of these substances when you need to clean glass and are out of Windex or other glass cleaner.
White Distilled Vinegar
White distilled vinegar has many uses, including cleaning glass. Make a homemade glass cleaner from vinegar by filling a spray bottle with half white distilled vinegar and half water. Spritz your glass and then wipe clean with a lint-free cloth.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol cleans glass and evaporates quickly, which makes it a popular DIY window-cleaning ingredient. It’s even in our favorite homemade glass cleaner.
Mix one cup of rubbing alcohol with a cup of distilled water in a spray bottle. Then, spritz your glass and wipe from top to bottom with a clean cloth.
Lemon Juice
Like vinegar, lemon juice is acidic, which enables it to break down grease and grime. You can create a glass cleaner out of fresh or bottled lemon juice — in a spray bottle, add two tablespoons of lemon juice to a cup of hot water and shake to combine. Use as you would a commercial glass cleaner.
Dish Soap
Dish soap is a gentle yet powerful cleaner capable of breaking down grease, fingerprints, and smudges. But be careful — too much dish soap will leave your glass streaky.
To make a window cleaner, add one drop of dish soap to a cup full of hot water and shake it to combine.
(Some) Multipurpose Cleaners
Not all multipurpose cleaners are effective at cleaning windows, but many are, especially natural formulas. Look on the back of your all-purpose cleaner bottle to see if glass, mirrors, or windows are listed.
